Line play will be critical on both sides of ball for Washington
ASHBURN, VA. — Nobody much thinks the Redskins have a chance in Sunday’s 1 p.m. season opener in Philadelphia. They’ve lost four straight games to the Eagles, but more important, Philadelphia’s pass rush might be the league’s best and the left side of Washington’s offensive line is questionable with the holdout of left tackle Trent Williams and uncertainty at left guard.
Listed as 10-point underdogs by many oddsmakers, here are five keys for the Redskins if they are to win on Sunday:
1. Mitigate the impact of Philadelphia’s pass rush
Washington is missing its best offensive lineman, which could be a serious problem. The Eagles are aggressive at pursuing the passer and will be able to seize on the perceived weaknesses at left tackle (36year-old Donald Penn) and left guard (either Erick Flowers, a failed tackle, or rookie Wes Martin).
2. Get defensive penetration up front The Redskins’ defensive front of Jonathan Allen, Matt Ioannidis and Daron Payne has played together long enough now that it is on the verge of being one of the NFL’s best. In the brief time the first team defense was on the field this preseason, the three got tremendous surges through offensive lines, rattling quarterbacks and shutting down the run game. It is essential for Washington’s defense to get to Carson Wentz and stop the Eagles’ run before it gets started.
3. Get Guice going
Despite rushing for more than 1,000 yards last year, Adrian Peterson might not be active for this game. The Redskins are handing their run offense to Derrius Guice. And while Guice is a more dynamic runner than Peterson, he’s also an unknown quantity. He missed all of last season with a torn ACL and only played one half in the preseason. Washington is counting on him to break off big early runs and keep it from the dreaded second-and-8 that bogged down its offense last year.
4. Win the field position game
Quietly, punter Tress Way was one of the most valuable Redskins last season. He went the year without a touchback and often forced opponents to move 70 or more yards to score. Washington hopes to play a ball-control game this year, relying on what it hopes will be an effective but slowmoving offense and a dominating defense. To make this work, the Redskins have to make use of their offensive possessions, at least getting the ball close to midfield much of the time.
5. Let the young receivers fly
The Redskins let Josh Doctson go in large part because they believe in first- and second-year receivers such as Trey Quinn, Terry McLaurin and Kelvin Harmon. Quinn and McLaurin are first-team receivers and the Washington coaches love Harmon’s ability to fight for passes in the air.